


Undercover

by Kayla97



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Byun Baekhyun-centric, Celebrities, Comedy, Detectives, Idols, M/M, OT9 (EXO), Police, Romance, Secrets, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:55:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayla97/pseuds/Kayla97
Summary: Detective Byun is sent undercover, his aim is to find evidence of corruption at one of the biggest entertainment companies in Korea. Along the way he meets Idol Chanyeol and finds out just how hard it is to keep a secret.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

3 weeks and Baekhyun was getting frustrated. Ever since the incident on his last case, he had been put on desk duty. Writing up reports and filing evidence was beginning to drive him crazy.

The chief had not been happy when he heard about how Baekhyun had royally screwed up. Still, Baekhyun thought surely after this long he would finally assign Baekhyun a new case. But no. Everyday he walked into the police station and his superintendent would shake her head before handing him a stack of new reports to write.

Sehun had teased him at first, taking any chance he got to flaunt his new drug case in front of Baekhyun. This had earned him a few harsh slaps and death glares in the process, and after the second week he was beginning to feel a bit bad for him.

"You know," Sehun began through a mouthful of his sandwich. "Maybe if you go and beg Kyungsoo he'll let you join my case?"

"Are you joking me?" Baekhyun snapped, "have you seen the way he's been looking at me in the morning briefings?"

"Isn't that just his face though?"

"No, it's not his usual I hate you all glare. It's more of an I hate you specifically targeted at me glare," Baekhyun replied.

Sehun sighed. "Yeah you're probably right," he said taking another bite out of his sandwich. "You did kind of mess up though."

Baekhyun stopped typing and turned his chair towards Sehun. "Thanks for reminding me," he said glaring at him.

Before he could hit Sehun, Chief Do came out of his office to make an announcement.

"Everyone in the briefing room," he instructed before walking into the other room.

Sehun took this as his chance to escape Baekhyun's retaliation and dashed off after him. Baekhyun groaned. This was going to be yet another painful reminder that he was not included in any field work.

Grabbing his coffee he trudged into the briefing room and took a seat at the back next to Sehun.

Once everyone was seated, Chief Do began to address the room.

"As you're all aware we've had a number of tip offs related to potential corruption within SM Entertainment." He pointed to the slide on the screen showing a few photos of accumulated evidence. "Investigations so far we have only been able to retain a small quantity of evidence, not yet enough to form a legitimate case against a company that big."

"But sir, it's been 4 months and we still have no new leads," Jieun prompted.

"Yes thank you I'm well aware of that," Kyungsoo sighed in exasperation. "For that reason I have decided to send someone undercover. I would prefer if this did not become a cold case after all the time and resources we have put in. So in a last effort to obtain some evidence, detective Byun will attend SM Entertainment's next audition."

Baekhyun immediately began choking on his coffee earning a hard slap across the back from Sehun who insisted he was 'trying to help'.

"Sir!" He began once his coughing fit had subsided. "With all due respect, SM Entertainment has a reputation for being notoriously difficult to get into."

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you don't want to go back into the field?" He asked, his tone testing.

All eyes on him, Baekhyun gritted his teeth. "No sir," he muttered.

"Good," Kyungsoo said before returning to addressing the whole room. "Superintendent Kang will brief you on the case and assign your cover, everyone is dismissed."

Once the briefing was over Baekhyun and Sehun walked back over to his desk. "Do you think he's serious?" Baekhyun asked.

Sehun shrugged indifferently. "I don't think Kyungsoo is capable of joking."

Baekhyun slumped into his chair. "But how the hell am I supposed to pass this audition?".

"Weren't you a trainee at Cube Entertainment when you were younger?" Sehun asked.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "Yeah when I was like 10, I barely even remember it."

"Well isn't that at least something?" Sehun questioned.

Baekhyun shook his head. "You're really not helping," he said as he began typing angrily at his computer. "I think Kyungsoo just wants me to fail so he has an excuse to keep me at my desk for longer."

"Prove him wrong then," Sehun stated.

"Easy for you to say, you don't have to go and perform to a bunch of strangers for a one in a million chance of being picked."

"Why are you getting so tetchy about this Baek? I've never seen you get this worked up over a case before."

Baekhyun sighed. "It's a long story, I just don't like these entertainment companies. Nothing good ever comes out of them."

Sehun gasped "You take that back! Have you not heard of EXO? They are one of the best boy groups this country. No. The world has ever seen, and they're under SM."

"I don't live under a rock Sehun." He frowned. "Of course I know who EXO are, I'm just not convinced the company is that great. I'm going to be investigating SM for corruption for crying out loud, how are we having this debate?"

"You started it," he teased.

"You really are a baby sometimes you know. Learn to respect your elders."

Sehun stood up and made and exaggerated bow. "I am so very sorry hyung," he said in a sarcastic tone.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. "Get out of here, shouldn't you be working on your own case?" Sehun smiled and ignored Baekhyun's question.

"Seriously though, good luck Baek. I think Kyungsoo picked the right person for this," he said patting Baekhyun on the back and walking off towards his own desk.

Baekhyun buried his head in his hands, this was going to be impossible. He hadn't performed in front of other people in years, after leaving Cube his sole focus in life had been becoming a detective, and now fate had thrown him back to a place he promised himself he would never return.

"Look alive Byun," called out superintendent Seulgi as she walked towards him. "You finally landed a case, shouldn't you be running around celebrating or something?"

Baekhyun looked up to see a file in her outstretched hand. "There's nothing to be excited about, It's not like I'm going to pass the audition," he grumbled before accepting the file. "I mean why me? Sehun is younger what about him? Or Jieun? She can sing. Or maybe-"

"Look Baekhyun," Seulgi cut him off. "I know the chief has been giving you a hard time these past few weeks, but I don't think he would give you this case if he didn't think you could get something out of it."

Baekhyun frowned "But-"

"No buts," she interjected. "Your audition is tomorrow morning, show him why he should keep you back out in the field."

"Tomorrow! You have got to be joking me?"

"Better get acquainted with your new backstory then," she said patting him on the back as she walked away.

Baekhyun immediately opened the file in his hands. Name Byun Baekhyun, age 21 okay simple enough so far. Talent singing, a little bit of an overstatement he thought to himself. Scanning the rest of the document it all seemed pretty straightforward. All he had to do now is do well in the audition.

* * *

Baekhyun rubbed his tired eyes, he had been unable to sleep the night before. Hopefully they wouldn't be able to see the resulting dark circles. Anxiety coursed through him as he walked into the SM building, he felt like throwing up but tried to stay calm.

Kyungsoo had arranged for a small team of makeup artists and hair and makeup stylists to "pimp him up" as Sehun had so eloquently put it. He felt uncomfortable with his new appearance, skinny jeans he hadn't worn in years clinging to him as if their life depended on it, hair parted and styled immaculately and foundation creating unnaturally pale and flawless skin. Shaking his head he tried to focus on the task at hand.

Following the signs for the auditions, Baekhyun could see many young hopefuls looking for their chance of fame headed the same way. Once he reached the desk, he was assigned a number and given a sticker with 79 printed onto it. Just how many people had turned up he wondered. Scanning the room, it was packed full of people with similar stickers. He found an empty seat next to a younger looking man with the number 72 on his sticker.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked politely.

The man looked up and shook his head quickly, Baekhyun took this as his cue and sat beside him.

They sat in silence both too nervous to speak.

"My name's Baekhyun" he said after a while to try and start a conversation with the man, maybe it would help alleviate some of the anxiety he was feeling.

"Jongin" the man replied smiling brightly. "It's nice to meet you".

"Is this your first time auditioning?" Baekhyun asked politely.

Jongin nodded his head "Yeah, my dad convinced me to. I didn't expect there to be so many people here though." His voice sounded a little worried. "What about you?" He asked in return.

"Yes, I always wanted to be a singer" He lied, "and then one of my friends kinda forced me to sign up for the audition." Technically that was true, he was definitely not doing this out of his own free will.

Just as Jongin was about to reply a staff member came into the room and called out for anyone with a number from 70 to 79.

"That's us" Jongin said nervously looking down at his number.

Wordlessly they followed the staff member into a different room where three people sat behind a desk facing them. They lined up in number order and waited for further instructions.

One of the men sat at the desk spoke up "we will call out your number in ascending order. Once we call out your number you will step forward and state your name and specialty. You will then have 1 minute to perform and show us why we should pick you."

The woman next to him smiled encouragingly. "Good luck everyone" she said before calling out the first number.

After the first two, it was Jongin's turn. He stepped forward cautiously before saying his name and specialty which was dance. He stood patiently as he waited for the music he had brought with him to begin playing. Baekhyun watched in awe as the man began his performance. His dance routine was entrancing, each move executed perfectly with the grace of a professional.

Once he was done, he bowed formally to the staff before returning to his place in the line. Baekhyun was now even more worried for his own performance.

Finally his own turn came. Hands trembling slightly he stepped forwards and stated his name and singing as his specialty. Taking a deep breath he fiddled with the hem of his shirt waiting for the music to start. Baekhyun had picked the same soulful ballad he had sung 10 years ago at his first audition. He tried to pour the same passion and emotion into his voice, remembering the pointers his instructors had taught him and before he knew it 1 minute was up. As the song finished, he bowed and turned around to return to his place in line where he received an enthusiastic smile from Jongin.

Anxiously they stood waiting as the staff quietly discussed their performances. After what felt like an eternity one of the male staff members spoke.

"Well done on your performances and sorry if you didn't make it this time" he began. "Those of you selected will need to stay behind and sign temporary contracts."

Baekhyun's heart began hammering in his chest, the whole mission relied on this. If he failed he couldn't even imagine the amount of paperwork Kyungsoo would make him complete.

"Kim Jongin and Byun Baekhyun stay behind, the rest of you can leave" One of the staff members announced snapping him out of his thoughts.

Jongin smiled, clearly elated at the news and quickly moved over to stand at Baekhyun's side. Baekhyun couldn't believe his luck, all the self doubt in his mind about this audition had finally cleared.

For the next 15 minutes the three staff members went over the basic training schedules and expectations before handing both Jongin and Baekhyun a contract and pen. Jongin signed almost immediately, excitement clear on his face. Baekhyun on the other hand carefully read over the paper with a degree of wariness, before finally scribbling his signature on the dotted line.

"Great" the female staff member announced, "your training will begin early tomorrow morning, and you will be assigned to a dorm for your training period. Please follow me and I will show you the way."


	2. Chapter 2

Baekhyun and Jongin were assigned to the same dorm. It was small and cramped with three other boys sharing with them. To Baekhyun's dismay, him and Jongin were given a room to share between them. He had anticipated this situation, however having to share rooms meant had to be even more careful with his investigations. 

Jongin threw his bag down beside the bed before lying back onto the mattress.

"Can you believe it Baekhyun!" He said excitedly.

Baekhyun grinned to match his enthusiasm, but couldn't quite settle the growing feeling of discomfort within.

"We actually made it," he replied placing his own bag down beside his own bed. "It doesn't really feel real yet" he said honestly.

Jongin nodded in agreement before sitting up to face Baekhyun.

"By the way" Jongin began, "How old are you? I feel like I should know if I can call you hyung.

Baekhyun laughed lightly. "I'm 21, I know a bit old to start perusing the Idol dream but better late than never" he lied.

Jongin looked surprised. "I thought you were younger, you have a baby face hyung," he said bashfully. "I'm 18 so I should definitely have been using honorifics, I guess I was too nervous before to even remember to ask."

"It's okay Jongin" He said endearingly at the younger's reaction. "You don't need to worry about honorifics with me".

"Okay hyung" He replied teasingly.

Before he could respond, there was a light knock at the door.

"You can come in" Baekhyun called out.

The door slowly opened to reveal a staff member holding a box in his hands.

"I need your phones and any snacks you may have," he said sternly.

Reluctantly he handed over his phone. Granted it wasn't his only phone, he had a secret one hidden at the bottom of his bag in order to communicate with the station. He did however feel as though he was giving away the last of what little freedom he had left.

Digging through his pockets, he also produced a pack of gum that Sehun had given to him the previous week telling him he needed it. One of the many charming qualities his friend had. Dropping it into the box alongside their phones and some sweets Jongin had brought in his bag.

"I hope that is everything," the man said coldly eyeing to two suspiciously.

They both nodded, Baekhyun praying he wouldn't check through their bags. 

Seemingly satisfied with their responses, the man moved to leave the room. "Please be ready for your first lessons tomorrow, and if you need anything you can ask one of the other boys in your dorm."

"Okay, thank you" Jongin said politely before bowing.

Baekhyun mirrored him, bowing before he walked away leaving them alone once more.

"Well he was a bit too happy" Baekhyun joked once he was sure the man was out of earshot.

Jongin laughed nervously. "Hopefully the other staff here are a little more friendly" he said.

"Yeah," Baekhyun sighed. "Hopefully."

* * *

The next day, Baekhyun had to drag himself out of bed at the crack of dawn. Being late would not be a great first impression.

Once he was ready, he walked sleepily down to the cafeteria with Jongin close beside. He knew there would be many restrictions to trainee life, and breakfast was no exception. They were all served a very small meal which looked very uninspiring and made Baekhyun groan inwardly. Despite the limited meal, Baekhyun noticed some of the other trainees were choosing not to eat most of it. He assumed they were worried for weekly weigh ins or maybe a target the staff had forced them to hit. He shuddered at the thought, _I need to get out of here as soon as possible,_ he decided to himself.

Jongin looked equally unimpressed by the meager portion but said nothing on the subject, instead taking small bites to make it last longer.

After breakfast, the rest of the day was filled with back to back dancing, singing, song writing- you name it, there was probably a training session for it. Baekhyun's body ached as he pushed it to the limits. He wondered when he was going to find a chance to investigate, with such intense training.

He struggled to keep up with the others in dancing, his own skills quite unrefined after years without practice. Jongin however was a completely different story, he greatly out shined many of the more experienced trainees receiving many compliments from their teachers. When Baekhyun asked him about it, he revealed he had trained in ballet for many years which he would have pursued if he had failed the audition.

Singing was where Baekhyun felt most comfortable, initially as a young boy he had wanted to be a singer but he had long given up that dream. His teacher was largely impressed by his vocal range and skill, providing mainly positive and constructive criticism. He felt content with this, but brushed the thought aside trying to ignore warm feeling of pride.

Finally after hours of non stop learning, the trainees were all dismissed and given an hour of free time before dinner. He took this opportunity to take a quick shower to wash away the sweat that had accumulated throughout the day, before slipping out of the dorm as Jongin went into the bathroom.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, Baekhyun walked out of the main accommodation section of the building to explore further. He decided if he was caught snooping now, he could easily blame it on him getting lost as he was still new. After a few minutes of wandering around, he noticed a door that no other trainees seemed to be going through. He saw this as a positive indication they probably weren't allowed to go there, and waited until he could slip through unnoticed.

The hallway was brightly lit with some posters and records hanging from the walls. A few of the rooms he passed were filled with recording equipment, and he figured this area must be predominantly where the artists went. One of the doors however had no window and was labeled office 03. This may be a good place to start, maybe he could find some documents or something.

Trying the handle he found the door to be locked. This was another positive sign, who wouldn't keep sensitive files under lock and key.

Looking to check the coast was clear, Baekhyun took out some tools he had hidden in his pocket and began to quietly pick the lock. He didn't have an enormous amount of experience with breaking into locked rooms since it was generally illegal, and definitely not something that would be endorsed in a traditional investigation. He did however have a little experience from sneaking into the bathroom stalls at the station to scare Sehun, and some mandatory lock picking sessions as a part of his police training. In this case it seemed like the best course of action in order to investigate without arousing too much suspicion. 

Five minutes or so had passed and he could feel the lock was almost aligned, he was on the verge of celebrating when he heard footsteps from around the corner. Quickly he hid the lock picks back in his pocket and began to walk in the other direction.

The door he had entered through was only a few meters away when he heard someone call "Hey stop!"

Wincing at being caught he turned slowly to face the person who had called him. The man in question approached him quickly, taking big strides with his long legs. He was quite a bit taller than Baekhyun, his face covered by a mask and his eyes shielded by a dark low hanging cap. Judging by the expensive branded clothing he was wearing, Baekhyun decided he was definitely not a trainee. There was something he recognised about the man, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"What are you doing here?" The man asked, his voice low and authoritative.

Baekhyun quickly decided to go for the innocent approach. "I'm sorry, I think I'm lost," he replied trying his best to channel the voice of a frightened trainee.

The man considered his response for a second, giving Baekhyun a once over.

"You know this area is restricted for artists and management only. You really shouldn't be down here."

Baekhyun shook his head, "I'm sorry..."

They both stood in silence as the man seemed to be formulating a response. If he was caught now, he could kiss any chance of redemption with Kyungsoo goodbye.

Baekhyun took a chance and quickly uttered "I'll leave now," before bowing deeply and dashing off leaving the man to call out a stunned "wait!"

He did not wait, instead pretending to not hear and picking up speed. The man was now following behind him in an effort to catch up to him.

At the end of the hallway he noticed lines of trainees heading towards the cafeteria and hurried to join them, effectively blending in and hiding from his pursuer.

The man who had been following him came through the doors leading to the restricted area and scanned the room trying to pick out Baekhyun.

Baekhyun held his head low, staring at the ground praying he wouldn't be spotted. One of the trainees next to him gave him a weird look for his odd behavior, but said nothing.

It seemed to work, after a few minutes the man appeared to give up and returned from the way he had come. Baekhyun let out a sigh of relief as he continued walking, that was a little close for comfort.

* * *

A week had passed now and Baekhyun had experienced his first weekly assessment. Some of the trainees had not passed and were tearfully sent home, this made Baekhyun feel a little bad. After all he was only here to investigate, and he felt as though he was taking away a chance from someone who really wanted this. Trying to clear his mind, he began formulating a plan for the next time he would sneak out to explore.

After last time he had decided to keep a low profile in case he bumped into the stranger again, not wanting to be kicked out before he could find some useful evidence.

Jongin was talking about the moves to a choreo as they entered the singing studio before suddenly falling silent. Baekhyun looked at him confused as to why he had stopped before following Jongin's gaze to the person standing in the middle of the room.

There stood a tall man who despite the lack of a mask was recognisably the same person Baekhyun had been caught by a week ago. Baekhyun's stomach dropped, he knew he wasn't going to be able to get out of this one.

"Hello trainees," began their singing teacher, "this is EXO's Chanyeol who I'm sure you all know, and he is here today to give you a little taste of the idol life."

Chanyeol smiled politely. "Hello everyone, it is nice to meet you all. I'm excited to find out what you guys can do," he said staring at Baekhyun whom he clearly recognised.

Everyone in the room clapped and seemed visibly excited at the prospect of meeting a real life idol.

"Yes, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to cheer on our trainees." Their teacher continued, "for the most part this session will run as normal, however throughout you will each have a chance to receive some one on one training with Chanyeol." 

The other trainees cheered, eager to talk to Chanyeol, Baekhyun however felt anxiety bubbling up. Hopefully he didn't bring up the incident from last week.

Baekhyun tried his best to avoid Chanyeol as much as possible but eventually had to go over to the man for individual coaching as instructed by his teacher. Jongin had just received his own feedback from Chanyeol and was brimming with excitement at having met the idol.

Baekhyun bowed politely at the man, avoiding eye contact as he greeted him formally.

"Baekhyun, it's nice to meet you" Chanyeol replied warmly acting as if they had never met. "How about you sing me a little of the song you've been practicing."

Baekhyun understood why he didn't said anything about the incident since they were in front of everyone, and played along nodding shyly.

Taking a deep breath, he began to sing.

Chanyeol looked pleasantly surprised, his expression changed into one of interest as he listened to Baekhyun's voice.

After completing the song, Chanyeol applauded drawing some of the other trainees' attention. Baekhyun blushed with embarrassment and stared down at the ground.

"Wow," Chanyeol exclaimed, "you have a very good singing voice. How long have you been training for now?"

"Just over a week" he replied.

The idol's eyes widened. "Really!" 

Baekhyun nodded, he was getting beginning to feel self conscious at the attention directed at him.

"Well you are very good, I don't really have a lot to critique you on."

 _Maybe that's because you' re a rapper_ Baekhyun though to himself.

"Sorry what was that?" Chanyeol asked, a smirk forming.

Oh god, did he say that out loud. Fumbling for a response Baekhyun stuttered "I-uh..."

Chanyeol cut him off abruptly, "thank you for your performance Baekhyun, here are the notes I wrote for what you could improve on."

Baekhyun felt a bit awkward as he accepted the sheet of paper and bowed once again. He was not exactly creating the best image of himself. Before he could say anything else to make the situation worse, he hurried away from the Idol to rejoin the other trainees.

Jongin immediately latched onto his arm and began to talk to him about his own coaching from Chanyeol. "What did he say to you? He seemed to really like your performance."

Baekhyun could feel his face going red. "He uh, told me I had a good singing voice. He also gave me some notes on what I could do to improve."

"Woah" Jongin gasped. "I'm jealous hyung! He didn't give any of the other trainees notes."

Alarms went off in Baekhyun's head. What had Chanyeol written on the note?

Careful to prevent Jongin from seeing it he quickly scanned the piece of paper. 

_I know it was you I saw last week,  
_ _meet me here at 6._

Baekhyun folded the paper to hide it's contents and shoved it in his pocket. "It just says I need to work on my breathing technique," he lied.

Jongin pouted cutely. "I wish he had written something for me. My friends won't believe me if I tell them I met the Park Chanyeol."

Baekhyun laughed lightly, "I'm sure you can prove them wrong when you debut." He said patting Jongin's head.

Jongin smiled happily. "Thanks Hyung."


	3. Chapter 3

_Crap._

This was not supposed to happen.

Baekhyun paced the room, his brain trying to run through all of the ways his meeting with Chanyeol could pan out.

Time was ticking.

"Hyung!" Jongin's voice snapped him back to reality. "Are you okay? You look a little distracted."

Baekhyun nodded and gave an unconvincing smile. Picking at his food he knew Jongin could tell something was wrong, but didn't want to push him into speaking.

Baekhyun felt too anxious to eat and eventually gave up moving the same piece of potato around his plate. "I think I need some fresh air" he said quietly before standing up and heading towards the exit.

After making his way outside, Baekhyun took a deep breath trying unsuccessfully to expel all his worries. It was nearly six and he had still yet to decide what to do.

Checking quickly to see that no one was around, he slipped his secret phone out from the depths of his pocket and opened up his texts.

_From Sehunnie:_

_Things are going well. Kyungsoo has been extra sour recently, I think he secretly misses you._

Baekhyun smiled faintly as he read Sehun's most recent message.

_From Baekhyun:_

_That sounds like BS.  
_ _He's probably just mad because you're always texting me instead of doing any work._

Almost immediately his phone buzzed.

_From Sehunnie:_

_Would I lie to you?_

Baekhyun resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

_From Baekhyun:_

_When don't you._

Suddenly he heard footsteps. Hurriedly he shoved his phone back into his pocket and went back inside.

Checking his watch he decided the inevitable couldn't be put off any longer and began to trudge towards the practice room. The corridors were mostly empty, with most of the trainees still eating and minimal staff around. As he drew closer he could hear a soft piano melody gradually getting louder.

Peaking through the glass on the doors to the room it was too dark to make out anyone inside. Was someone else in there?

Carefully Baekhyun opened the door and walked inside, his footsteps echoing through the room but the music persisted. In the far corner Chanyeol sat at a piano, hands glancing over the keys creating a melancholy song.

After a few minutes Baekhyun spoke. "I didn't know you played."

"I'm more than just a pretty face," Chanyeol joked as he continued to play.

Baekhyun nodded silently.

A few minutes passed as neither of them spoke.

"Sing for me?" Chanyeol asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I-I don't know this song," Baekhyun replied in a flustered tone.

Chanyeol seemed surprised. "I thought you would recognise an EXO song, you know since you're in SM and all."

"Just because I'm in SM doesn't mean I've memorised every song they've produce." Baekhyun countered. 

Chanyeol paused. "Play me something you do know then," he asked making space for Baekhyun to sit on the small piano stool.

Reluctantly Baekhyun sat beside him. Fingers gracefully running over the piano as he began to play his audition piece. His singing gradually accompanying as Chanyeol watched with an wistful expression. Slowly he became more confident and poured his emotions into his voice. There were many memories linked to this song but this only made his tone richer and more soulful.

Without warning, Chanyeol began to harmonize linking their voices to form an entrancing symphony.

Finally Baekhyun's hands slowed and the song came to an end.

"How did you know I could play?" He asked looking up at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol shrugged. "I didn't."

Suddenly realising how close they were sitting, Baekhyun stood up awkwardly. "So uh... You wanted to speak to me or something?" He mumbled, not looking Chanyeol in the eye.

The idol nodded. "It was you wasn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talki-"

Before Baekhyun could finish Chanyeol cut in. "I saw you last week, wandering around the artist area," there was a hint of teasing in his tone.

"I-i..." He stammered unsure of what to say.

"Are you by any chance... a fan?"

Baekhyun's could feel his cheeks heating up. Chanyeol thought he was just an over eager fan, this was not how he thought this conversation would go.

"You are aren't you! You're going red," Chanyeol said pointing to Baekhyun's face.

Slapping the idol's hand away in embarrassment, he decided it would be easier to go along with Chanyeol's theory instead of thinking of another excuse.

"Would you stop," he said not outrightly denying but neither confirming his suspicions. "Why do you care anyway?"

Chanyeol pouted slightly. "You were a lot nicer to me when everyone else was in the room." Baekhyun gave him an unimpressed look. "Well I assumed you were too nervous to talk to me before, and since I am such a gracious senior I wanted to meet you again," he said putting emphasis on _gracious._

Baekhyun sighed internally, this was going to hurt his pride. "I mean I guess I may have seen a few of your performances," Chanyeol's smile began to widen. "And maybe I joined SM partly because of EXO" he said laying it on thick.

Chanyeol looked just about to tease him again so he quickly remarked. "But Chen is my favourite, he's just so talented." Chanyeol pouted. "And not to mention handsome" Baekhyun added with a dreamy expression.

The idol frowned a little before asking. "What about me?"

Baekhyun took a second to think before saying. "I mean you're not the ugliest person I've ever seen..." Before he could continue he burst out laughing as Chanyeol quickly caught onto the fact Baekhyun was trying to tease him.

"You're lucky I'm nice," The idol said narrowing his eyes. 

Baekhyun grinned. "I suppose so."

Chanyeol glanced at his watch and sighed. "I guess you have to be back at your dorm soon, early start?"

Baekhyun nodded, part of him felt sad at having to leave. 

"I'm sure I'll see you around" Chanyeol remarked as he began to put his cap on to cover his face.

"Yeah I guess you will."

Chanyeol headed towards the door.

"You know," Baekhyun began making Chanyeol turn around. "Even if you cover your face, your big ears make it obvious it's you."

Chanyeol laughed lightly. "Good genetics can't be helped."

Baekhyun smiled at his cocky attitude and watched as he left.

* * *

When Baekhyun returned to his dorm, he lights were off and Baekhyun assumed everyone had gone to bed. Staying as quiet as he could he entered his and Jongin's shared room. 

"Baekhyun?" Jongin whispered in the dark.

"Yeah, its just me."

Jongin sat up in his bed and turned the lamp beside him on. "Where did you go?" He asked with concern.

"I just wanted to get some last minute practice for our assessments tomorrow," he lied.

The younger looked satisfied with his answer. "You should get some sleep," said Jongin sleepily.

"So should you."

Jongin nodded before flopping back onto the bed and turning the light off. "Goodnight," he mumbled half asleep already.

"Goodnight Jongin."

The next day Baekhyun was woken to the loud ringing of the alarm clock beside his head.

"Ughh," he groaned reaching his arm out blindly to unsuccessfully turn the alarm off.

"Rise and shine!" Jongin said as he came over to Baekhyun, already dressed and looking far more awake than he had any right to at this time of the morning.

Baekhyun sat up rubbing his eyes and finally turning his alarm off, before sitting dazed for a minute.

"Come on, lets go and get breakfast hyung. Big day ahead of us."

Jongin's enthusiasm was a little too intense for Baekhyun as he protested Jongin's attempts to drag him out of bed. "Why are you so awake," he complained.

The younger rolled his eyes. "Probably because I went to sleep at a decent time last night?" This just received an annoyed grunt from Baekhyun as he curled back up on the bed. Jongin resorted to pulling the covers from Baekhyun which made him whine loudly, before throwing his pillow with amazing accuracy at Jongin's face.

Eventually he stood up and got changed, he couldn't be bothered to style his hair so instead opted for a cap. 

Still half asleep he let himself be guided to the cafeteria where he was served a disappointingly small portion of rice. Following the others he sat down at the table and began to eat. All the other trainees were talking between themselves nervously about the upcoming assessments. Baekhyun's stomach twisted as he considered the possibility of failing them.

"Baekhyun are you nervous?" Asked one trainee.

"What's he got to be nervous about, didn't you see how Chanyeol praised him yesterday?" Remarked another with a tinge of jealousy.

Baekhyun's ears went red as he thought about how Chanyeol had complimented him in front of the other trainees. "I mean of course I'm still nervous," he said trying not to let his embarrassment show. "It's not like he's going to be there or anything."

"I heard they're planning their next by group soon, and these assessments might determine if were considered," the first trainee shared gaining an excited reaction from those around him.

Jongin's looked at Baekhyun with an unsure expression. "Do you think that's true?" He asked.

Baekhyun shrugged. "It's probably just a rumor, and even if it is true we've only been here a few weeks," he couldn't help but see things in a pessimistic light, especially with past experiences. Jongin looked a little disappointed at this but rather that than to give the younger false hope.

After finishing their breakfast, all the trainees headed towards their assigned rooms for the initial phase of assessment. This focused mainly on appearance and was in Baekhyun's opinion about as superficial as the entertainment industry could get. He'd seen trainees with amazing talent rejected from the company for being slightly over their target weight. It disturbed Baekhyun that everyone just acted as if it was normal, and made him grateful that he had given up the idol path a long time ago.

Jongin had been assigned a different room to him, so he stood alone and waited anxiously for his turn. He could hear a few scathing words of criticism from the staff members as they examined the trainees ahead of him which didn't help to ease the tension he felt. 

Once he was called forwards he quickly stepped on the scale feeling everyone's eyes on him. A moment of uncertainty washed over him as the numbers adjusted.

Eventually he could let out a sigh of relief as the scale revealed he had hit his target. Despite this one of the staff members still gave him a thorough once over as if she was looking for an imperfection to critique. Eventually she told him he could go, and sent him off to his next evaluation.

Throughout the day every skill was thoroughly assessed leaving Baekhyun both physically and mentally drained. Overall he had fared well, and only hoped it would be enough to stay.

He had been waiting for Jongin in the dance studio when a staff member with a clipboard came in. Quickly he got everyone's attention and began calling names from a list he was holding. There were only a few people called including Baekhyun, all of whom were led down a section of the building Baekhyun had never seen before. This area seemed a little more restricted than the main trainee studios, with multiple doors requiring a key card to progress through the halls. Baekhyun wasn't sure of what was happening and felt anxiety starting to take hold. What if this was it, what if he wasn't good enough and they were kicking him out. Kyungsoo was probably going to loose his shit if that happened.

Finally they stopped at a door labeled meeting room 07. The man who had brought them there opened the door and gestured for them to enter. Inside tables and chairs were arranged in a circular formation with five trainees already seated, one of which was Jongin. Quickly Baekhyun and the other three he had come in with also sat down.

A moment later the door opened again and a few important looking staff entered alongside the company's CEO. Quickly everyone stood a bowed to show respect before the CEO began to speak. "Thank you all for being here," he began standing at the end of the tables. "Some of you may have already heard that I am looking to debut a new group at the end of the year, and based on today's evaluations the nine of you have been suggested for the shortlist."

There was a collective gasp throughout the room, excitement evident on everyone's faces. Baekhyun felt his stomach drop. Things were about to get complicated.

"This means you will be joining another slightly smaller group of trainees in preparation for debut. Not all of you will be selected, and continued fortnightly assessments will affect whether or you do in fact make the final line up," continued the CEO in a slightly more serious tone. "You will each be given a new contract," He said as staff handed out a rather thick booklet of documents. "And will have the weekend to make your decision," he paused. "I hope you will do the company proud," this last statement almost sounded like a threat rather than words of encouragement.

As soon as the CEO left, the trainees began to flick through the contract and chat excitedly between each other.

Baekhyun was still in disbelief, deciding that this was definitely something he would have to talk to Kyungsoo about.


	4. Chapter 4

Baekhyun sat nervously, taking tiny sips of the tea he had bought to try and calm his racing thoughts. Kyungsoo had agreed to meet him, deciding it best to meet somewhere discrete to avoid raising any questions. So this was why he was sat on a bench in the park in the middle of the night. Baekhyun tapped his feet looking around anxiously, _this is how people get murdered_ he thought to himself. The darkness was stifling, every slight noise making him paranoid.

"Baekhyun." A voice beside him suddenly appeared.

"AHHH!" Baekhyun yelled instinctively. 

"Shut up!" Kyungsoo hissed, putting his hand over Baekhyun's mouth to prevent further noise. Once he had calmed down, he slowly removed his hand with a very unimpressed expression attached.

"What did you do that for! Are you trying to scare the shit out of me? Couldn't find anywhere a bit creepier for us to meet?" Baekhyun began berating.

Kyungsoo glared at him, "If you say one more thing, you will live to regret it."

Baekhyun stopped. Sometimes Kyungsoo scared him a little. 

"Good." Kyungsoo said with a pleased expression. "Now, show me this contract you were talking about."

Quickly Baekhyun rummaged through his bag and pulled the thick stack of papers out before handing it over. Kyungsoo pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and began reading intently.

Impatiently, Baekhyun started to tap his feet. Gradually this began to irritate Kyungsoo.

"Do you want to die?" Asked Kyungsoo coldly, not even looking up from the page.

Baekhyun stopped tapping. "I don't think it's in your job description to commit murder," he muttered sulkily.

Finally after what felt like an eternity, Kyungsoo stopped reading and looked up. His expression was serious.

"I'm going to be honest with you, I was not expecting this to happen."

Baekhyun nodded in agreement. "But what does it mean for the investigation?"

Kyungsoo sighed. "Well this is a pretty big contract, it seems they are really keen on preserving their image. If you find something incriminating then you would be protected legally, but the issue is the deeper you go the more they will market you to the public."

"That puts my job and identity at risk?"

"Yes, unfortunately it does. The more people that know you as Baekhyun the idol the harder it will be to return to Baekhyun the detective. Not to mention if you don't find anything..."

Baekhyun took a deep breath. "That's not going to happen."

Kyungsoo looked taken aback. "Baekhyun this is a big gamble."

"I know, but I'm willing to risk it."

"Alright," conceded Kyungsoo as he returned the contract. "I hope this works out for everyone's sake."

Baekhyun smiled. "Is that your way of saying you're worried about me," he teased.

"You really are pushing your luck Byun," Kyungsoo said lightheartedly before returning to his usual professionalism.

"I heard your meeting with Chanyeol was a false alarm?"

Baekhyun nodded. "Yeah, turns out he's just a bit self obsessed and thinks I'm a fan."

"Still, he went to a lot of effort to speak to you just to see if you were his fan," Kyungsoo paused thoughtfully. "Maybe you can get closer to him and see if he knows anything?"

Baekhyun began to protest recalling the almost intimate moment he and Chanyeol had had by the piano. "I mean I barely know him, and besides he seems too nice to be involved in something like this."

Kyungsoo frowned. "You more than anyone should know people aren't always what they seem."

Baekhyun winced thinking back to his last case. "I know, I just don't want to essentially use him only for it to backfire."

"Look Baekhyun, you're here for a reason. If you can get Chanyeol to trust you, even if he isn't directly involved he might know something."

"You're right," Baekhyun sighed. "I'll try my best sir." 

After a brief pause they both stood up and began to walk towards the park gates.

It was Kyungsoo who broke the silence. "Sehun really misses you I think. He's become more bratty since you haven't been there to play like little children."

"Does everything you say have to be a backhanded compliment?" Asked Baekhyun sourly.

Just as Kyungsoo was about to reply, a voice interrupted them. "Baekhyun?"

Jonign stood on the pavement just outside the park, his expression surprised and confused.

"Uhhh," was all Baekhyun could say.

Jongin's eyes darted back and forth between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

It was Kyungsoo who took the initiative and spoke. "Hello nice to meet you, I'm Baekhyun's friend Kyungsoo," he shook Jongin's hand bowing politely and smiling.

Now Baekhyun was completely thrown off. Why was Jongin here, since when was Kyungsoo capable of smiling, what was going on?

"Oh hello it's nice to meet you, my name is Jongin." He said smiling brightly and maybe even, blushing?

Baekhyun cleared his throat. "Uh Soo, Jongin is a trainee at SM with me," He explained using the nickname he knew Kyungsoo hated.

Kyungsoo glared at him when Jongin wasn't looking. "Oh wow that's pretty impressive, me and Baekhyun have known each other since high school. Ever since his mullet days." 

Kyungsoo was trying to wind him up in retaliation.

"You had a mullet!?" Asked Jongin in a shocked tone.

Baekhyun laughed with embarrassment. Sehun had made an slide show of all the worst photos of Baekhyun for his birthday including his mullet hair and decided to show it during the morning briefing, even Kyungsoo had cracked a smile that day.

"That's really not relevant," he said trying to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Anyway what are you doing Jongin? A bit late for a solo stroll isn't it?" 

Jongin sighed. "Honestly I'm just trying to clear my head. The meeting we had the other day, the contract, it's all just so overwhelming. I want to be sure I'm making the right decision." 

Baekhyun nodded. "You and me both. I think you should go for it, really I do. You're one of the most talented people I've ever met and it would be a shame for the rest of the world not to see that."

Jongin smiled shyly. "Thank you Hyung, I think you should too. You definitely deserve to reach your dream."

Baekhyun felt guilt stirring at the mention of the lie he had told the younger.

"What about you, why are you out so late?" You on a date or something?" Jongin teased.

"WITH HIM?" Baekhyun blurted out. "I mean haha no way me and Soo are _strictly_ 100% platonic."

Kyungsoo looked mortified at the idea of them being a couple. "Yeah me and Baekhyun are just friends."

Jongin stifled a laugh at the pair's reaction. "Okay okay, I was just teasing. I'm sure Baekhyun would have told me if he was he was going out with someone."

Baekhyun laughed uneasily, there was a lot Jongin didn't know about him.

"It's getting a bit late, do you want a lift back?" Asked Kyungsoo clearly trying to end this impromptu meeting.

Baekhyun shook his head. "It's fine thanks, I'll walk back with Jongin since were going the same way. I'll see you soon."

Kyungsoo smiled, it was scary how good he was at pretending to be friendly. "Goodbye, it was nice to meet you Jongin."

"You too," he replied shyly.

Once Kyungsoo had left Baekhyun turned to face Jongin. "Why are your cheeks so red?" He asked knowingly.

Jongin's quickly raised his hands to hide his cheeks. "They're not!"

"Do you maybe like Kyungsoo?" Teased Baekhyun.

"Ya hyung!" He whined.

"Aww, who knew you got flustered so easily. I can give you his number if you want?"

Jongin flushed an even brighter red and quickly shook his head. "No it's okay! I don't even have a phone to message him with at the moment."

"But you wish you did hu?"

"Oh my gosh please stop, are you trying to kill me with embarrassment?"

Baekhyun laughed. "Alright, I'll stop. For now. Let's go home?"

Jongin nodded hastily and began to walk next to Baekhyun.

* * *

After the weekend had passed, all the trainees handed in their signed contracts and were moved into a new dorm together. Baekhyun and Jongin were once again sharing a room, which Baekhyun was thankful for this as it was mostly easy to hide his ulterior motives from him. Not to mention he was starting to become quite fond of the younger. Their phones had also been returned to them, accompanied with strong warnings of when they were allowed to use them and what they were allowed to use them for.

Their training had intensified with harsher critiques and an increased number of lessons. Baekhyun had found little time to investigate, but had made the occasional attempt. Each time coming up empty handed. He had even been actively seeking out Chanyeol but to no avail. EXO were promoting at the moment so the idol was likely swamped with schedules, Baekhyun was beginning to worry he'd never see him again.

The next day however proved to be the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

Baekhyun had just finished a grueling 8 hours in the dance studio, and was headed back to the dorm. He had decided to take a different route out of the building in the hopes of coming across something of interest, and found himself walking past a door that stood out from the rest. Unlike the practice rooms he had been used to using, this room had large metal double doors which looked rather imposing. Cautiously he pressed his ear flat against them to see if he could hear anything from inside. He quickly realised this might not actually be the best idea since most of the practice rooms in the building were soundproofed. Waiting a few minutes to see if anyone came out he decided to gently crack the door open.

Through the small gap between the doors, Baekhyun could see the lights were on but couldn't see any signs of movement from inside. This might just be the stupidest decision he could make, but he decided to slip inside.

The room was much larger than a normal practice room, and seemed somewhat familiar. Before he could dwell on that thought, a rustling sound came from the secluded seating area in the corner. Panicking, Baekhyun ducked behind a large counter by the doors.

"Come on, we'd better practice this one more time. If you mess up again like you did today and the camera catches it, you'll be all over the internet." A light voice said.

Baekhyun had to stifle a gasp when he finally put two and two together. This was EXO's practice room from their dance practice videos, and he was pretty sure that was Chen's voice he just heard.

 _Oh god!_ This was not looking good. If he got caught how would he explain this.

Music began playing through the speakers either side of the room, and Baekhyun could hear footsteps which he could only assume was the sound of dancing. Risking it, he took a quick peek to see who else was in the room. As far as he could tell it was only Chen and Chanyeol which gave him a little comfort. At least Chanyeol knew who he was in the event of him being caught, but if he didn't already he would definitely think Baekhyun was a crazy fan.

Keeping as quiet as possible, he was trapped in hiding for almost half an hour. Eventually the music stopped and both idols decided to finish for the day. Once he could hear their voices were further away, he checked to see that they had returned to the seating area. Heart racing he tiptoed towards the exit, gingerly pushing at the doors only for them to betray him and let out a loud creak. 

"Is someone there?" Came Chanyeol's voice.

Making a split second decision, Baekhyun turned to face the room pretending he had just entered.

Chen stepped back into the main room and frowned in confusion upon seeing a rather disheveled looking Baekhyun. "Um, sorry who are you?" He asked carefully.

Before he could think of a response, Chanyeol appeared. "Baekhyun?"

Baekhyun winced, how was he going to get out of this one. "Hi Chanyeol-ssi," he said bowing politely.

"Oh you're Baekhyun! Chanyeol told me about you," exclaimed Chen warmly.

Chanyeol punched him lightly in embarrassment. "I mentioned him in passing," he corrected.

Chen rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say," he said dismissively before offering his hand to Baekhyun. "I'm Jongdae, it's nice to meet you."

Still wracking his brain to find a suitable excuse for being here, he introduced himself properly bowing once again as he shook the Idol's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Chanyeol finally asked. 

Baekhyun remembered what Kyungsoo had said and used his best lying voice. "I wanted to see you," he said mumbling bashfully.

Chanyeol looked flustered, his ears turning red as he tried to hide his reaction. Baekhyun didn't need to be a detective to see Chanyeol clearly had a soft spot for him. Pushing aside his guilt for using this against the idol, he smiled sweetly.

Jongdae coughed awkwardly. "I should uh probably get going to the thing I have later," a blatant lie but neither Chanyeol or Baekhyun called him out on it. 

"Oh yeah that thing..." Chanyeol said making the lie even more obvious. "I guess i'll see you tomorrow then."

Jongdae nodded quickly grabbing his things and making a swift exit.

Now they were alone, Baekhyun gave Chanyeol a once-over. His newly dyed blond hair slicked back, white designer shirt sticking to his body. How did he look this good after all that practicing? Compared to him, who felt like the least attractive kind of sweaty right now.

Chanyeol laughed awkwardly. "So you managed to find me, you must either be a stalker or with the FBI."

 _Not quite_ Baekhyun thought to himself as he laughed the idol off. "Well you haven't exactly been the easiest person to find," he said.

"Yeah I've been a little busy you could say."

There was a long pause as Baekhyun mustered up the courage to make a leap of faith.

 _Now or never_ he decided. "Why don't you grab some food with me to make up for it?"

Chanyeol smiled softly. "Okay."

"Okay?" He repeated back feeling his heart fluttering.

The idol nodded before pushing the door open and gesturing for Baekhyun to go first. "After you."


End file.
